Box Score (PDF)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – North Florida (27-12, 6-3 A-Sun) recorded an 8-0 shutout victory this afternoon to take two out of three games against Lipscomb (20-13, 2-4 A-Sun) in an Atlantic Sun road series. The Ospreys hit five home runs in the three-game set and record their first shutout of the 2015 season.
 
Senior Trent Higginbothem, who gave the Ospreys the initial lead, hit his sixth home run of the year, a two-run shot in the third inning. Higginbothem finished the day, 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He has driven in a run in 11 of his last 13 games and is third in the league with 42 RBIs this season.
 
Starting pitcher Matt Vaka delivered another quality start for the Ospreys, tossing five innings in his eighth start of the year. He allowed just two hits and did not surrender run. Vaka improves to 2-0 on the season and lowers his ERA to 1.72.
 
The relief efforts of Matthew Naylor and Corbin Olmstead preserved the team's first shutout since the Ospreys blanked Lipscomb, 15-0 last May. Naylor threw 38 pitches and in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. He only allowed one hit and struck out two in his 20^th appearance. Olmstead finished the fourth game of the week for North Florida and fanned three batters to ad three more strikeouts to team-leading total of 38.
 
Olmstead also contributed at the plate and was a home run short of the cycle. He helped add to the Osprey lead twice, first with a triple in the fourth and sacrifice fly in the sixth. After his first triple of the season, he scored on RBI ground out by Nick Karmeris. In the sixth, he just got under a pitch with runners on second and third but the fly out was deep enough to score Higginbothem from third. He was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a runs scored.
 
Ryan Roberson capped off the North Florida scoring with his fourth home run of the spring in the top of the eight. His 17^th career long ball put the Ospreys up 8-0 and moved him into a tie for 7^th on the program's Division I home run list.
 
The Osprey defense was once again stellar with its 18^th errorless game of the season. North Florida turned three double plays, none more important than one started by Garrick Ferguson in the sixth. After a lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh, Naylor took over for Vaka with no outs. The Bisons eventually loaded the bases with one out. A deep fly ball to right field should have scored the first Lipscomb run but Ferguson cut down a runner trying to advance from first to second, negating the run that would have score by virtue of a sacrifice fly.
 
The Ospreys will head back to Harmon Stadium for four consecutive games beginning on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. against Florida A&M. After the lone midweek contest, the Ospreys square off against cross-town rival, Jacksonville for a three-game series that commences on Friday.